In the Living Inquiries, some questions ask for a yes or no answer.
Is that image a threat?
Are those words you, the one who is not enough?
Is that (mental) movie a command to eat ice cream?
If there is any response or reaction in the body, it’s a yes, independent of what our rational mind says. The only “correct” answer is a simple yes or no based on the body response.
If there is a yes, the next question is, what tells you it’s a yes? A sensation? An image? Words? Then, feel the sensation, or look at the image or words.
If there is a no, rest, and continue looking – either at what has come up earlier, or to see where – anywhere – we can find what we are looking for. (A threat, deficient or inflated self, command.)
This is how we explore velcro, the bundle of sensations, images and words that seem to make up a threat, self, or command.
There are some pointers that can be used to help the client (or oneself if self-facilitating) see what’s already there. For instance, notice the space the sensation, image, or word is happening within. Notice the space between you and the image or word. Notice the space in all directions. (This helps us notice the space that’s already there, and makes the sensation, image, or words seem less dense and contracted.)
There are also “tricks” that can be used to help us recognize an image as an image, words as words, and sensations as sensations. These range from simple ones such as imagine you are touching the surface of the image, or more elaborate ones such as imagine scrambling the letters and let them fall into a bag. (!)
I tend to use these “tricks” sparingly, and often not at all. Why? Because an honest yes, from just looking at what’s there, leads to associated images, words, and sensations. It helps us see what more is there and look at it. It brings more into the light.
The more heavy handed tricks can lead to a no, which is fine, and they can also (temporarily) leave unseen some associated images, words, and sensations.
Of course, if there is more velcro there, it tends to surface anyway.
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Initial notes…….
– living inquiries
– yes – get to see what’s connected with it, associated with it
– no – if see clearly as an image/word/sensation, and no reaction/response in the body
– honest answer, the only “right” answer
– and always going to the body for the answer (not the rational mind), that’s the indication of velcro
– exploring velcro
– pointers can be helpful, help us see what’s already here – notice the space around etc.
– “tricks” can be a bit much (scrambling the letters etc.), a bit heavy handed, may overlook associated images/words
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